Pizzelles

The pizzelle may be one of the oldest known cookie recipes. There are recipes that are said to date back to the 8th century B.C.E., which would go as far back as the founding of Rome (which took place around 753 B.C.E.). Yet, these cookies did not emerge on the streets of the city founded by Romulus and Remus. Instead, the cookies originated on the other side of the peninsula, in an area that would become known as Abruzzo. 

The story of the pizzelle is said to have begun in the village of Culcullo. The village and its residents were overrun with poisonous snakes. A man named Dominic rendered all of the snakes harmless. To thank that man, a celebration was held, which became known as the Festival of Snakes. Pizzelle cookies were made and eaten as part of the celebration. The man would later become Saint Dominic. The Festival of Snakes, as well as the Feast Day of San Dominico, continue to this very day to celebrate that story. Now, as people eat their pizzelles, they can watch snakes slither up and down a statute of Saint Dominic. (It is said if the snakes wrap themselves around the statue's head, it will be a good year for the crops.)

Over time, pizzelles were also made and eaten for other celebrations, notably Christmas and Easter. Indeed, my Italian ancestors - who came from Abruzzo - had a yearly tradition to make stacks and stacks of the waffle-like cookies at Christmas time. It was as much a part of the tradition as the holiday meals themselves. 

The process of making pizzelles is as old as the wafer-like cookies. Centuries ago, people used iron presses. The presses were usually adorned with some design, such as a snowflake; however, families could have irons decorated with the family crest, or other meaningful designs. The iron presses had a long handle, which one could use to hold the irons over hot coals. The batter was placed in the center, the press was closed. and pressure was applied for a very short time until the cookie was done. Fast forward several centuries and one can still find people using iron presses to make these cookies, just with electricity rather than coal. 

This recipe is relatively easy to make, but it takes a little time getting used to the pizzelle iron. Generally speaking, I find that using a small ice cream scoop works best, placing the batter in the middle of each part of the iron. I also find that holding the iron closed (rather than relying on the clip), gets better results. If the batter sticks to the iron, try a little spritz of olive oil to grease the irons. That also helped immensely in terms of making the cookies, although it did make it a little messier. A little mess is worth it in the end.

PIZZELLES

Recipe from Food Network

Serves many

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/32 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon anise extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions:

1. Whisk together the ingredients. Whisk together the sugar, butter, milk, vanilla, anise and eggs in a large bowl. Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and continue to whisk until the batter is smooth. Allow to stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour so the batter can hydrate.

2. Cook the pizzelles. Heat the pizzelle iron. Once the iron is hot, use a small ice cream scoop to place one scoop in the center of each side of the iron. Close the iron firmly and hold close for 30 seconds. Remove the cookies immediately and place to the side to cool. 

PEACE.